Beijing+25 Asia-Pacific Youth Blog

Date: Wednesday, July 17, 2019

[Call for submissions] The Beijing+25 Asia-Pacific Youth Blog will be hosted on the UN Women Asia-Pacific website and will accept submissions from young people aged 14 to 30 years from any country in the region. The year 2020 will also mark the five-year review of the Sustainable Development Goals, the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Security Council resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, and the 10th anniversary of the creation of UN Women.

UN Women helps bring a rainbow to Metro Manila during Pride march

Date: Monday, July 15, 2019

The sun may not have been shining on the Metro Manila Pride March in Marikina City, but the horizon was nonetheless illuminated with bright rainbow flags and costumes celebrating the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) community. Roughly 56,000 people took to the streets in the 29 June march to celebrate diversity of sexual expression and gender identity, and to rally for the rights of the LGBTQI community. This year’s theme was Resist Together, a call for advocates and supporters to fight discrimination against LGBTQI people.

Gaining protection for Indonesia’s migrant workers and their families

Date: Friday, July 12, 2019

Anis Hidayah was still a student when she picked up the newspaper one morning and read the story of a local woman who had left her young children in Indonesia to work thousands of miles away in one of the Gulf States. There she was exploited, beaten and raped by her employer. When she came home, she was treated as a social outcast and her young family was humiliated and ostracized. “That story lit a fire within me,” says Hidayah. “That could have been my mother, my family. This was one story, but there are millions of others suffering the same all over the country.”

Ethnic minorities contribute to review of historic women’s rights

Date: Friday, July 12, 2019

[Press release] Today, the Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA) and UN Women held a consultation workshop in support of Viet Nam’s review of the report on the 25-year implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and invited ethnic minorities to share their perspective. The Beijing Platform for Action is one of the world’s most comprehensive documents on women’s rights and empowerment. The workshop was funded by Irish Aid Viet Nam.

From Where I Stand: “Being part of the LGBTI community in Timor-Leste..”

Date: Thursday, July 11, 2019

Joker da Silva is an openly trans man. He is one of many LGBTI activists in Timor-Leste who have helped raise the visibility of the community, including through activities supported by UN Women that build connections and support among members. “I hated to look at myself in the mirror because I was a pretty girl but had a male attitude. Then I decided to devote myself to the church to change.

REACHing out for rights and services

Date: Thursday, July 11, 2019

An unexpected visit sparked a glimmer of hope during a dark time in Arihi’s life. She is now an empowered survivor of domestic violence who now knows her rights and how to access financial and legal services.

Thai designer raises funds to help refugee women and girls

Date: Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Leading Thai designer and entertainer Vatanika Patamasingh hosted a gala event to raise funds for the life-changing work of UN Women supporting women and girls living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh. Actors, journalists and CEOs of Thai and Chinese businesses were among the about 60 people who attended the 26 June gala dinner in Bangkok that Vatanika hosted to celebrate the responses to her donation drive and to raise awareness about UN Women’s work in Cox’s Bazar.

Nepal marks first national celebration of its one-third representation of women in Parliament

Date: Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Amid a dizzying array of dialects and attire reflecting Nepal’s rich regional and ethnic diversity, over 700 women local government leaders and representatives of District Coordination Committees from across the country gathered at City Hall in Kathmandu on 30 May (Jestha 16 in the Nepali calendar). On this day in 2006, the current President of Nepal, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, then a lawmaker, presented a resolution before the House of Representatives demanding at least 33 per cent representation of women in all the state mechanisms. The proposal was endorsed that same day. To mark this important milestone in Nepali history, the Cabinet decided in May 2019 to celebrate Jestha 16 as National Women’s Rights Day.

Breaking the silence on violence against women in Thailand through the Vagina Monologues

Date: Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Many of the more than 100 people in the audience raved about the performance of the stage play The Vagina Monologues, which UN Women organized at the United Nations regional headquarters in Bangkok on 25 June. The 25th is the United Nation’s monthly Orange Day to raise awareness about violence against women and girls. The play by American playwright and activist Eve Ensler has been staged all over the world.

#Code4peace hackathon revolutionizes the way Afghan women voice their priorities for peace

Date: Friday, July 5, 2019

Twelve teams competed in Afghanistan’s largest and first-ever hackathon on women, peace and security, aiming to create a national platform for rural and urban women to voice their priorities for peace. The hackathon, called #code4peace, was organized by UN Women from 17-20 June 2019 in the province of Bamyan, Afghanistan.